OPD: Lady Lake man stole 50-inch TVs from Walmart

Ocala police arrested a man on Thursday suspected of stealing two large-screen televisions from a Walmart on consecutive days.

By Austin L. MillerStaff writer

Ocala police arrested a man on Thursday suspected of stealing two large-screen televisions from a Walmart on consecutive days.

According to an Ocala Police Department report, Bryan K. Bybee, 48, of Lady Lake, gave the TVs to a drug dealer.

On Wednesday, a loss prevention officer at the Walmart at 4980 E. Silver Springs Blvd. told Officer Mike Diesso that a man was seen on surveillance video walking to the electronics department, removing a 50-inch Sanyo television, placing it in a shopping cart and leaving without paying for it.

On Thursday, the loss prevention said the same man again entered the store, took another 50-inch Sanyo, placed it in a shopping cart and walked out the building.

This time, he was stopped and escorted back to the store. A store official called OPD.

According to the OPD report, Bybee told Officer Diesso he stole the television on Wednesday and had returned on Thursday for another one to give to his drug dealer. Bybee told him he has stolen many items from other Walmarts in the county.

Searching him, the officer found a small notebook in one of his pockets that contained a list of various items Bybee said were things he wanted to take, according to the report.

He was arrested, charged with two counts of grand theft and taken to the Marion County Jail.

Bybee has since been released from jail on $4,000 bond. He could not be reached for comment Friday morning.

Local court records show Bybee was convicted in 2005 on several offenses, including dealing in stolen property, grand theft of a motor vehicle and introducing contraband into a detention facility. He also has a retail petit theft conviction from 2004.